The September 2026 Visa Bulletin was the busiest month of the fiscal year for the family categories.
Select your country of chargeability below to see your dates and the comparison with the previous month.
Family categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | February 1, 2020 | June 15, 2019 | Advanced 7 months and 17 days |
| F-2A | Current | Current | No change |
| F-2B | September 1, 2019 | January 1, 2019 | Advanced 8 months |
| F-3 | November 1, 2014 | March 1, 2013 | Advanced 1 year and 8 months |
| F-4 | November 1, 2011 | June 22, 2010 | Advanced 1 year, 4 months and 10 days |
Dates for Filing chart, “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” column.
Employment categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Current | Current | No change |
| EB-2 | Current | Current | No change |
| EB-3 | September 1, 2024 | September 1, 2024 | No change |
| EB-3: Other Workers | April 1, 2022 | April 1, 2022 | No change |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months |
| EB-5 (unreserved) | Current | Current | No change |
Final Action Dates chart, “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed” column.
Rest of the world. This was the group that benefited most from the bulletin. All four family categories with a queue advanced, and F-3 and F-4 each jumped more than a year. In the employment categories, EB-1 and EB-2 remain “Current,” meaning no queue at all, and only EB-4 moved.
Family categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | February 1, 2020 | June 15, 2019 | Advanced 7 months and 17 days |
| F-2A | Current | Current | No change |
| F-2B | September 1, 2019 | January 1, 2019 | Advanced 8 months |
| F-3 | November 1, 2014 | March 1, 2013 | Advanced 1 year and 8 months |
| F-4 | November 1, 2011 | June 22, 2010 | Advanced 1 year, 4 months and 10 days |
Dates for Filing chart, “China, mainland born” column.
Employment categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | July 1, 2023 | July 1, 2023 | No change |
| EB-2 | September 1, 2021 | September 1, 2021 | No change |
| EB-3 | January 1, 2022 | January 1, 2022 | No change |
| EB-3: Other Workers | May 1, 2019 | May 1, 2019 | No change |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months |
| EB-5 (unreserved) | December 1, 2016 | December 1, 2016 | No change |
Final Action Dates chart, “China, mainland born” column.
China (mainland born). In the family categories, China tracked the rest of the world exactly and saw the same advances. The difference shows up on the employment side, where China keeps its own queues and none of them moved, with the exception of EB-4.
Family categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | February 1, 2020 | June 15, 2019 | Advanced 7 months and 17 days |
| F-2A | Current | Current | No change |
| F-2B | September 1, 2019 | January 1, 2019 | Advanced 8 months |
| F-3 | November 1, 2014 | March 1, 2013 | Advanced 1 year and 8 months |
| F-4 | December 15, 2006 | December 15, 2006 | No change |
Dates for Filing chart, “India” column.
Employment categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | October 15, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | No change |
| EB-2 | Unavailable | Unavailable | No change |
| EB-3 | January 1, 2014 | January 1, 2014 | No change |
| EB-3: Other Workers | January 1, 2014 | January 1, 2014 | No change |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months |
| EB-5 (unreserved) | Unavailable | Unavailable | No change |
Final Action Dates chart, “India” column.
India. A mixed picture. In the family categories, F-1, F-2B, and F-3 advanced exactly as they did for the rest of the world, but F-4 remains frozen at December 2006, nearly five years behind the rest of the world. In the employment categories, India is the only group with two categories marked unavailable, and the State Department issued a specific warning about EB-1.
Warning from the bulletin itself: the State Department stated that high demand from India-born applicants in the EB-1 category may make the category unavailable in the coming weeks, if India’s pro-rated limit is reached before the end of the fiscal year.
Family categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | December 1, 2008 | December 1, 2008 | No change |
| F-2A | Current | Current | No change |
| F-2B | May 15, 2010 | May 15, 2010 | No change |
| F-3 | July 15, 2001 | July 15, 2001 | No change |
| F-4 | April 30, 2001 | April 30, 2001 | No change |
Dates for Filing chart, “Mexico” column.
Employment categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Current | Current | No change |
| EB-2 | Current | Current | No change |
| EB-3 | September 1, 2024 | September 1, 2024 | No change |
| EB-3: Other Workers | April 1, 2022 | April 1, 2022 | No change |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months |
| EB-5 (unreserved) | Current | Current | No change |
Final Action Dates chart, “Mexico” column.
Mexico. No family category advanced in September. Every date stayed exactly where it was in August. Mexico has the oldest family queues in the entire Visa Bulletin: F-3 sits at July 2001 and F-4 at April 2001, more than twenty years of waiting. In the employment categories, the picture is much better, with EB-1, EB-2, and EB-5 at “Current.”
Family categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 | April 22, 2015 | April 22, 2015 | No change |
| F-2A | Current | Current | No change |
| F-2B | October 1, 2013 | October 1, 2013 | No change |
| F-3 | August 8, 2006 | August 8, 2006 | No change |
| F-4 | March 22, 2008 | March 22, 2008 | No change |
Dates for Filing chart, “Philippines” column.
Employment categories
| Category | September | August | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Current | Current | No change |
| EB-2 | Current | Current | No change |
| EB-3 | August 1, 2023 | August 1, 2023 | No change |
| EB-3: Other Workers | December 1, 2021 | December 1, 2021 | No change |
| EB-4 | December 15, 2022 | October 15, 2022 | Advanced 2 months |
| EB-5 (unreserved) | Current | Current | No change |
Final Action Dates chart, “Philippines” column.
Philippines. As with Mexico, no family category moved in September. The Philippines was left out of the largest family advance of the fiscal year. In the employment categories, EB-1, EB-2, and EB-5 remain at “Current,” and only EB-4 advanced.
The Visa Bulletin organizes the queues by country of chargeability, which as a general rule is your country of birth. Four countries appear in separate columns because they hit the 7% per-country limit set by law: China, India, Mexico, and the Philippines. Everyone else falls under the rest-of-the-world column.
When a national queue is far more backlogged than the worldwide queue, as happens with Mexico and the Philippines, an advance in the general queue does not automatically carry over to them. Each one moves at its own pace, limited by the accumulated demand from that country.
The rule almost everyone gets wrong when comparing bulletins
The Visa Bulletin publishes two different charts every month, and they answer different questions.
Dates for Filing
Tells you when you can submit the application and send in documentation. It approves nothing.
Final Action Dates
Tells you when the green card can actually be granted or the visa issued.
Never compare different charts. Crossing the two produces advances or retrogressions that simply do not exist.
Which chart applies to you this month
The bulletin does not choose the chart on its own. USCIS makes that determination month by month, and the determination changes.
For September 2026, the designation is as follows:
- Adjustment of status in a family category: use the Dates for Filing chart.
- Adjustment of status in an employment category: use the Final Action Dates chart.
- Consular processing outside the United States: the NVC works from the Dates for Filing chart to request documentation, and visa issuance depends on the Final Action Dates chart.
This determination is published every month by USCIS. Before filing anything, check the official USCIS filing charts page to see which chart applies in the month you plan to file.
If this distinction is still not clear, it is worth reading our guide on how to understand the Visa Bulletin first.
What to do if your date became available
What to expect in October
September is the last month of the U.S. fiscal year. A new cycle begins on October 1, with a fresh annual quota. For fiscal year 2026, the family limit was set at 226,000 visas and the employment limit at 186,317.
If your priority date became available in this bulletin, the window may not last until next month. Check your case now.
Need help reading your case
Following the Visa Bulletin is simple. Understanding what it means for your specific situation, taking into account category, priority date, and processing path, is another matter.
If you have a family petition, an EB-1, or an EB-2 NIW case in progress and want to know whether this bulletin opens a window for you, talk to our team.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every immigration situation is unique and requires individual analysis by a qualified attorney. Contact Kravitz & Guerra Law Offices to evaluate your specific case.